My 3 approaches to dealing with micro-management

Ahoy,

As the title suggests, today we’re dealing with micro-managers.

While it does become less common as you move up the chain of command, micromanagers do exist at every level.

It’s really important that we don’t become one.

But it’s also really important that we know how to deal with one.

We don’t want their leadership approaches having an adverse affect on our teams.

And if you’re a new leader, it can be really easy to either let their poor leadership grip your team, or to let your frustrations flow down onto them.

So we’re going to look at the simple approach I have used when it comes to dealing with micro managers.

So firstly, why do people micromanage?

Well it comes down to trust.

Put quite simply, they don’t trust that you can do the job as well as they could do the job…

So how do we stop people micromanaging us?

We show them that they can trust us, and that we can do the job well!

Easy right? Hmm…

Often this gap in trust is created by a lack of communication. Micromanagement can end up looking something like this:

“Did you do that report yet…”

“Can you solve this by going over to…”

“Where are we at with the…”

It might be hard to see at first, but what is essentially being asked for here is information.

Because they don’t yet trust that you can deliver on time, solve your own problems and keep on top of the work load, you end up with these more specific questions.

The way I solve this is through over-communication.

I want to be clear here, any boss that I have had that has started off micromanaging me, has stepped well back after a short while.

Meaning, I was able to build the trust to where they felt comfortable enough just letting me get on with it.

That’s exactly where you want to be!

But what does that actually look like?

• It looks like regular updates on the work you’re doing.

• It looks like being genuinely honest on the things you are stuck on.

• And it looks like presenting solutions and not just problems.

By scaling up those three things, I guarantee you, your boss will begin to micromanage less.

“But Reece, if I tell them what I’m struggling on they’ll think I’m incompetent!”

They already think you’re not capable of doing any of the job to the same standard as them…

Being honest with your problems demonstrates:

1. You’re willingness to learn

2. You will reach out to them when you need it (it doesn’t need to be them reaching you)

3. You are comfortable in most things but know where your gaps in knowledge are

If you’re reaching out for help with certain bit, it’s assumed you’re doing okay everywhere else. Because you’ve demonstrated that you know when to ask for help.

Also, coupled with consistent updates, your boss will know how you’re progressing and be able to see that you know what you’re doing everywhere else.

Finally, if a problem pops up and you brief the boss with what you’re going to do about it…

There just is no better way to tell someone you know what you’re talking about!

So how do we stop micromanagement?

We build trust through over-communicating.

• Share updates

• Share sticking points

• Share solutions not just problems

This is not an overnight thing and can be quite frustrating.

But if you take these approaches, not only will they stop micromanaging you, but you’ll also become better in your role and you’ll build a positive relationship with your chain of command!

It’s so easy to look at other people and say “they are the problem” but usually there is something we can do ourselves that will help fix it.

In this case, it’s leading up the chain of command.

As always, have a great day.

Reece